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Social distancing and tin hats

Coronavirus Daily
Bloomberg

Here's the latest news:

  • Loss of sense of smell may be viral marker
  • Carnage among airlines deepens
  • U.S. Republicans' stimulus  package blocked

Our take on the latest developments

As Wuhan, China's erstwhile epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, begins to ease up on its two-month quarantine measures, much of the rest of the world is doubling down.

Europe, where more than 2,000 people died from the Covid-19 pandemic over the weekend, is taking the lockdown lead. After imposing nationwide restrictions that are close to house arrest, Italy shut down its factories. Germany banned gatherings of more than two people. The U.K. warned of tough measures to come.

Anything that slows the virus spread, eases the burden on Europe's strapped health systems and saves lives is surely worth the cost. Yet social distancing comes with potentially enormous collateral damage that Western political leaders have not fully recognized.

Policy makers argue cooping up hundreds of millions of people at home for weeks or months on end may aggravate other problems—obesity, alcoholism, mental illness and domestic violence, to name a few—even if there's no Johns Hopkins tracker to follow the spike in cases in real time. That's without counting the mass economic fallout.

And then there's the political fallout, as housebound workers look for distraction and hysteria spreads. Social media are already rife with apocryphal tales of authoritarian overreach: That French police have turned to online mapping services to hunt down and fine cyclists who flout the lockdown, for example, or that tanks have circled London to prepare for martial law.

China's authoritarian regime didn't have to worry as much about such concerns when it shut down Wuhan and other heavily affected regions. That quarantine now looks successful, but it was also accompanied by measures such as contact tracing and testing on a mass scale that haven't been replicated in Europe.

An extended lockdown in a free society is a particular challenge for leaders with a libertarian bent. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has sent mixed messages with his response, initially taking a fairly relaxed approach and now vowing much tougher action. No wonder people are confused about whether it's OK to go out for a bike ride or run, let alone gather with friends in a park for beers.

Getting voters to accept measures no one could have countenanced even a few weeks ago will require straight talk about the threat and mitigating actions. With Europe's toughest few weeks looming, it needs to keep the tin hats at bay.—Eric Pfanner

 

Track the virus

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Mapping the Outbreak Around the World

See the latest counts globally, and track Covid-19's spread in the U.S.

What you should read

Germany Asks Auto Giants to Make Medical Gear

The request is part of wider efforts to tackle supply bottlenecks.

Europe Struggles to Get Ahead of Virus 

Italy halts movement inside country as death toll mounts.

Boris Johnson Threatens U.K. Lockdown 

P.M says he'll consider options as public ignores warnings.

Merkel Quarantine Puts Crack in Europe Defense

Chancellor self-isolates after immunization shot for pneumonia.

China Talks Up Post-Virus Rebound

Most of China is low-risk and returning to normal, Premier Li says.

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